Breaking new grounds in research and revamping infrastructure, Indian universities have finally come of age. An India Today-Nielsen survey reveals.

Chanting expansion mantra has catapulted the university to new heights.

Established in 1916, BHU was founded by social reformer and freedom fighter Madan Mohan Malviya who travelled extensively across the country to gather funds and donations to set up the university.

In his endeavours, he was supported by social activist Annie Besant. Once the foundation of the university was laid, studying in BHU became a rage among the students. Such was the euphoria that at the time of third Parliament around 1962, as many as 137 MPs were BHU alumni. Mahatma Gandhi himself visited the university about 13 times and lived with the students and teachers to guide them on matters related to the freedom struggle and to emphasise on the importance of education. It is no surprise then that the university has produced a number of eminent politicians, scientists, bureaucrats and has churned out numerous success stories.

The fact that BHU offers several courses has turned out to be its USP. What has also worked in our favour is the fact that the campus still maintains the socio-cultural ethos of India.

-- D.P. Singh, vice-chancellor, BHU

In fact, BHU's role in setting up the higher education network is often forgotten. BHU played an integral part in setting up the now internationally recognised Indian Institute of Technology. "We had already set up the technology and engineering institutes at a time when there were no such institutes in the country," says Professor B.N. Pandey, head of the media and public relations cell.

In 1918, BHU had its full-fledged engineering institute called the Institute of Technology (IT) with departments like glass technology, geophysics, and metallurgy. Many alumni of this college have been responsible for setting up the modern IITs. "You may highlight the IITs and other institutes, but the fact is that it was BHU that played a pivotal role in the creation of the today's IITs," says an IT professor, adding that almost all BHU students in IT get placed every year while the students of the medical, agriculture and science departments also get lucrative offers. Pandey says that at present BHU registers highest number of research papers and thesises in the country.

Science may seem like BHU's core strength but the humanities form an essential asset to the university. The frontrunner here is the Department of Musicology that has played a pioneering role in developing the theoretical aspect of the discipline. It has also given a number of musicians and instrumentalists to the country like eminent violinist N. Rajan.

Over the years, BHU has included a number of courses in its syllabi, from astrology and metallurgy to visual and performing arts. Spread across 3,000 acres of sprawling land, the BHU campus has more than 30,000 students and more than 2,000 faculty members. "What attracts the students from India and abroad is the variety of courses. I do not think there would be any other university in the country that offers 140 courses under one umbrella," says Vinod Singh, a BHU alumnus working with the All India Radio.

BHU has also come up with innovative ideas such as 'Earn While You Learn', a scheme that has become immensely popular among young people in the campus. The students are given Rs 50 per hour for working in important areas of social work that include working in hospitals. "A number of students who come from the economically poor background get substantial support, thanks to the scheme," says Dr Ashutosh Shukla of the BHU Medical College and Hospital.

The university was rated in the 'A' category by the National Assessment Accreditation Council. Many of its other departments too have received acclaim for the quality of education. For instance, the immunology and biological sciences department was ranked third, agricultural and biological sciences was ranked seventh, biochemistry, genetics and molecular biology was ranked eighth. A number of foreign students also seek admission in this prestigious university.

Its past achievements may be intimidating but expansion and innovation into the future has kept BHU on its feet. The Rajiv Gandhi South Campus of the BHU in Mirzapur, 80 km from Varanasi, offers 45 courses that aim at rural empowerment, and there are plans to expand it further. "We are planning to develop the second campus as a place where students can be guided and work towards rural development," says Pandey. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has allocated Rs 27 crore as grant for the Rajiv Gandhi South Campus.

Vice-Chancellor D.P. Singh has already raised the issue of expansion in front of the Ministry of Human Resource Development. Next in line is the plan to set up Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development with funding from the UGC at the South Campus. "The Prime Minister's Office has itself declared this university best in the top three," says Pandey. With such elaborate plans, the university is on its way to achieve new milestones.

by Subhash Mishra

2 Jawaharlal Nehru University

Active voices

The university continues to be a centre for out-of-the-box thinking.

In 2008, a student of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) was accused of bludgeoning a female dog to death. The brutality of the incident shocked the student community and triggered unanimous protests and signature campaigns against the accused. He was finally fined and thrown out of the hostel.

In a country where many heinous crimes go unnoticed, few people outside the university could empathise with this agitation. But herein lies the essence of JNU, a university whose aim is to produce socially, culturally and environmentally responsible individuals.

Established in 1969, JNU's aim has been to inculcate academic excellence not just among the elite, but also the marginalised in the country. The university has produced some of the eminent politicians, bureaucrats, journalists and scientists in India. It continues to be one of the premier research institutes in Asia, where two-thirds of its student body is pursuing either M.Phil or Ph.D.

It also played a pioneering role in interdisciplinary studies in India. Its School of Life Sciences, the first of its kind in the country, was conceptualised as an interdisciplinary integration of all biological sciences. The School of International Studies is the oldest in the country and was one of the first to develop multi-disciplinary expertise on different regions in the world. School of Environment Studies and School of Biotechnology attract some of the best minds in the country and has several patents to its credit.

The school of language schools make use of information technology to provide the best pedagogy for students. Our graduates are highly sought-after in the industry and earn up to Rs 1 lakh per month," says B.B. Bhattacharya, vice-chancellor. Considering the tuition fee of Rs 12 per month, that certainly is a tremendous return on investment.

We plan to start a media research centre soon which would be first of its kind in the country. We will also offer post-graduate degrees in programmes such as women's studies and North-east studies.

-- B.B. Bhattacharya, vice-chancellor, JNU

JNU does not offer any professional degrees and focuses on research in basic sciences and social studies. In order to facilitate faculty projects, science departments are offered Rs 10 lakh per project and humanities or social sciences departments receive Rs 4 lakh per project. There is no fixed curriculum in any subject.

Every faculty member is encouraged to develop their own syllabus and bring in fresh and original ideas. Students are selected on their ability to innovate. "My research proposal received a lukewarm response in most universities as it is a new area in India. But at JNU the reception was amazing," says Rukmini Pande, an M.Phil student of English who is working on cyber cultures and theories.

This out-of-the-box approach attracts students not only from India but all across the world. Its acceptance rate is one of the most competitive in the country. More than 1,12,000 students apply, but only 2,000 are selected. It has 350 students from outside India, representing 34 countries and the student-teacher ratio is 10:1.

Apart from its academics, JNU is renowned for its political vibrancy and social commitment. The rules of its Gender Sensitisation Committee against Sexual Harassment have now been adopted by many other institutes. "The campus is a safe zone. At no time of the day do we feel threatened," says Pande. Additionally, the 1,000-acre campus boasts of an impressive flora and fauna with nearly 154 species of birds alone.

by Diksha Madhok

3 University of Delhi

Capital asset

Set for an infrastructure overhaul, the culture of excellence continues.

Seventy-nine colleges spread across the Capital, 14 faculties, 86 departments, about 2,20,000 students and many more walking the 'hallowed' path every year to find a spot. Such are the staggering figures which have added to the Delhi University's (DU) reputation over the years.

DU was established in 1922 as a unitary, teaching and residential university by an Act of the then Central Legislative Assembly. Only three colleges existed then in Delhi-St. Stephen's College, founded in 1881; Hindu College in 1899; and Ramjas College in 1917. The university had a modest beginning with just three colleges, two faculties (arts and science) and about 750 students.

The university authorities had complained of resources crunch for long but now DU is up for an overhaul with the funding of Rs 1,300 crore for infrastructure projects. "Within three to four years, DU will have new buildings for various departments. We've also inducted 200 new faculty members at the post-graduation level," says Deepak Pental, vice-chancellor.

The research contributions have provided DU with the most number of centres of advanced studies recognised by the UGC. To improve the standards of education, the university introduced teaching assistantships in 2006. Made available to 129 students so far, the assistantships facilitate the pursuit of research and give students exposure in mentoring students of their respective departments.

Within three to four years, Delhi University will have new buildings for various departments. We have also inducted 200 new faculty members at the post-graduation level.

-- Deepak Pental, vice-chancellor, DU

The university has also put up e-resources, and recently a semester system has been introduced. "In DU, concerted efforts are made to deliver desired results. It is the synergy between the faculty, administration and the students which results in the all-round performance," says Vinaykumar Srivastava, principal, Hindu College.

If past laurels weren't enough, DU has also become a partner university to the Erasmus Mundus programme organised by a consortium of 12 European universities and eight Indian universities. To build better industry interaction, a placement cell was created in 2008. Nearly 500 students were offered jobs in 2008-09 and more than 160 students got internships. "We are faltering a bit at the undergraduate level but the gaps can be plugged through course revision, semester system and some more discipline from all the parties," says Pental.

by Rohit Pithauria

4 University of Calcutta

Old world charm

With an increased focus on research, the tradition of academic brilliance continues in one of the oldest modern universities.

The name of Calcutta was changed to Kolkata, a few years back, but the name of the famed University of Calcutta (or CU as its students often call it), established in 1857, remains the same. Set up during the British rule, the university is considered to be one of the oldest of the modern universities in the world.

The days of the Raj are still rekindled every time a tram trundles along near the university campus. Every year more than 80,000 students secure admission in 153 under-graduate colleges of CU and about 12,000 students at the post-graduation level. "We have been able to strike a fine balance between what is known as conventional subjects like humanity, literature, social science, fine arts and emerging areas like biotechnology, biochemistry, molecular biology and nanotechnology," says Professor Suranjan Das, vice-chancellor, CU. "In 2007, the Government of India gave us a grant of Rs 100 crore to set up a centre for nanotechnology. We are developing it into a centre for excellence," says Das.

CU also boasts of having churned the most number of Nobel laureates in India with Ronald Ross, Rabindranath Tagore, C.V. Raman and Amartya Sen all associated with it. With first two graduates being greats like Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and Juddonath Bose, students have great examples to follow.

We have been able to strike a balance between conventional subjects like humanities, literature, social science, fine arts and emerging areas like biotechnology, biochemistry and nanotechnology.

-- Suranjan Das, vice-chancellor, University of Calcutta

Despite an enviable record, CU falls short in the teacher-student ratio that currently stands at 1: 22. "We are not that fortunate to have a great ratio like central universities. But if you look at the input and output ratio, the situation is much better here," says Das.

In 2005, CU was recognised by the UGC as a university with Potential for Excellence. And the tradition of excellence continues with an increased focus on research. In 2008, it established two new research centres, the UGC-supported Rabindranath Tagore Centre for Human Development with the Institute of Development Studies, Kolkata, and the Ministry of External Affairs and the Government of India-sponsored Institute of Foreign Policy Studies.

Since 2009, CU started offering a post-graduate diploma course in sports science, a post-graduate course in Buddhist studies, undergraduate general course in women's studies and biochemistry, a composite undergraduate course in fashion and apparel design. The university now offers a B.Ed course with a Method Paper in Home Science. "We aim to improve CU's standing through more international collaborations, faculty and student exchanges," says Professor Basab Chaudhuri, registrar of the university. by Sarbani Sen

5 University of Madras

Southern wonder

Outstanding research work gives this varsity a slot in the top five.

Two principles which have made the University of Madras an edifice of excellence are research and education for all. Overlooking the Anna Memorial and mgr Memorial on the shores of Marina beach, Chennai, the beautiful Victorian structure which houses the university was established in 1857 by the British.

We are very keen to promote research and development. The university has signed mous with 85 foreign and 18 Indian universities besides 21 industry and service organisations.

-- G. Thiruvasagam, vice-chancellor, University of Madras

The university, which had only 17 departments, 30 teachers and 69 research scholars in 1912, is today a large teaching-cum-affiliating university with 18 schools and 72 departments of post-graduate teaching and research, 152 affiliated colleges and 52 approved research institutions. It also boasts of a good student-teacher ratio-there are over 400 teachers for 1,75,000 students.

With over 4,000 students pursuing research programmes here, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the university has been ranked 15 among the top 35 national institutions in terms of scientific output by the ministry of science and technology. "Excellence in research and development is our strength. We emphasise on research and every teacher here has to undertake at least eight research scholars. We are likely to make significant contribution to healthcare by discovering medicines for dreaded diseases like cancer and Parkinson's at an affordable rate," says Vice-Chancellor Col. Dr G. Thiruvasagam.

The university has signed mous with 85 foreign and 18 Indian universities, besides 21 industry and service organisations. About 95 sponsored research projects, funded by various agencies, are being carried out in its various departments.

University of Madras is also a living example of how an institution can work wonders, being under government control and yet breaking new grounds in research and development. Over the decades, this 152-year-old university has shown exemplary excellence in the pursuit of knowledge.

The university regularly revamps its syllabi to focus on knowledge development for all, especially rural students. The university has launched a free education scheme through which 10 per cent additional seats are reserved in its various colleges for students hailing from economically poor background. The employment-oriented and skill-oriented courses run by the university focus on all-round development of the students and promises to nurture their innate talents. Its students display a rare quest for knowledge and why not? The university doesn't favour the usual textbook-oriented examination system.

As its vice-chancellor explains, "Our examination system is not challenging. From this academic year, we are changing the entire system and will rather evaluate students on different parameters." This university firmly believes that learning promotes one's natural talent and going by the long list of scholars, scientists and leaders that it boasts of as its alumni, it is an undeniable truth.